Method of making fusible compounds of aluminium and recovering aluminium therefrom.



L. R. KEOGH.

METHOD OI MAKING POSIBLE COMPOUNDS OF ALUMINIUM AND RBOOVBRINO ALUMINIUM THERBFROM.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. z2, IOOO.

Patented June 27, 1911.

INVENTOR L. .R .KEGG-H WITNESSE'S nutren LUCIUS RICHARD KEOGH, 0F OTTli/VA, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO CLIFTON ASHTGN DOUGLAS, OF OTTAWA, CANADA..

METHOD or MAKLNG FUslnLn COMPOUNDS oi" ALUMINIUM AND REcovnnING ALUMINIUM rrinnErRoM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 191ML Application tiled August 22, 1908. 'Serial No. 449,835.

ITo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, lJUoiUs Riemann `liEoeI-I, of the city of Ottawa, Province of Untario, Canada, ave invented certain new and useful Improvements in li/iethods` of Making Fusible Compounds of Aluminium and l ecovering Aluminium Therefrom, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, cheap and practical method of making fusible aluminium compounds, such as aluminium sulfid, or aluminium double sulfid, for reduction to metallic aluminium, and for economically effecting the said reduction.

ln the manufacturing of aluminium, a difficulty is found in cheaply procuring a compound of aluminium from which it may be readily recovered by the reducing action of the electric current, at low voltage. Oxid of aluminiumsuitable for reduction easily obtained but its reduction requires a large expenditure of energy. For electric reduction it is necessary that the electrolyte be in fused condition. The sulfid or double sullid of aluminium and another metal Will serve, but they do not occur in nature and have hitherto been difficult to prepare.

The present process provides a simple and economical method of producing these, as well as other compounds, of aluminium, such as aluminium chlorid or double chlorid of aluminium and potassium, or sodium. ln addition to this, 1t provides a means of utilizing the heat used to produce or created by the reaction producing the compound to assist in the recovery of the metallic aluminium by maintaining the electrolyte in fused condition.

rlhe process consists essentially in causing a reaction between a mass composed of the suld or chlorid, fluorid, bromid or iodid of sodium, potassium or lithium or other alkaline metal, or a haloid salt, or a sulfid of an alkaline 'earth metal, as calcium, barium strontium or magnesium; or a mixture or compoundof two or more of these compound substances; and a quantity of anhy- -drous sulfate of aluminium, with or Without carbonaceous matter, the mixture preferably being in the form of a! fused bath from which the metallic aluminium may, if desired, be afterward recovered by reduction, while the bath is still molten.

'lhe drawing illustrates a form of apparatus in which t-he operation may be carried out.

ln the drawings, A represents a suitable crucible of graphite or carbon having a suitable lining 10 of hard baked carbon.

B represents the cover which may be formed of carbon through which the positive electrode C extends, the Crucible itself forming the negative electrode and having a current conductor connected to a suitable connecting post 1l thereon.

The material may be fed into the crucible through a hopper D- and drawn olf through a tap hole 12.

In carrying out t-he process, the said mass of haloid salt, or sulid, or equivalent mixture, is preferably fused in a Crucible o1' melting pot, and a mixture of anhydrous sulfate of alumina and carbonaceous material is gradually added from above, in the form of a dry powder. The said mass is fused by heat applied externally or developed internally, as by electricity, meeting with resistance in the mass. The fusible aluminium compoundl produced may, while in molten state, be further reduced to metallic aluminium.

lf sodium chlorid be used as a bath, the reactions are as follows:

' The aluminium suld is formed in a fused or dissolved state, and the sodium chlorid is regenerated, making the process continuous. The reaction develops considerable heat and this, with the formation of chlorid or double chlorid of aluminium, which renders the bath more fusible, eli'ects a considerable s aving of energy, required to maintain fusion. It is altogether likely that in this case, the

double haloid salt of aluminium and alkaline metal employed is formed and again broken down, for the alkaline haloid is 1n excess, and though the temperature is much above the point of volatilization of aluminium chlorid, yet no .fumes are observed till a marked rid heat isattained. On the tion,

. lids,

other hand, the A1013 AlgSg, as rapidly as it is formed, and this may account for the absence of lfumes of A1Cl3. The fused mass is ready for immediate reduction by the electric current, thus saving the cost of remelting, and the reduction may go on continuously and simultaneously with the formation of the fusible compounds of aluminium in the bath.

It may .be observed that the haloid salt, sulfate and sulfid of the alkaline or alkaline earth metal employed and of the aluminium, are all present in the bath, which c onsequently, may be spoken of as containing a mixture of compounds of metals, and this will explain the phrase as used hereinafter in the claims.

While the process as a whole results in the production of aluminium, yet it will be seen that the various stages thereof in reality form subordinate integers of the invention which might be separately carried out, resulting in each case in the production of the elements indicated on the right hand side of the equathe elements on the left hand side of the equation being produced in any suitable manner.

1t will be observed pound of the metal `is in a reducedV state and is in a quantity chemically equivalent to the sulfate of aluminium whereby the products produced will be free from oxygen. Analogous reactions to the above occur with other alkaline haloid salts, chlorid of potassium,A chlorid of lithium, fluorid of sodium, fiuorid of potassium, fluorid of lithium, and the bi'omids and iodids of sodium, potassium, and lithium; and any of these or mixtures of two or more of them or be used, instead of compounds thereof, may sodium chlorid as actions to the above, occur also with the sul,-

are

The aluminium sulid is formed in fused or dissolved condition, and the sulid of sodium is regenerated, making the reaction continuous. By a further action, double sulfids of aluminium with the other metals employed, may be for-med in this case, and

polysulfids may be formed to a greater 0rl is converted into above shown. l Similar ret Y gently above-named, 1f used in whole or in water,

part, e. g. with sodium sulfid, thereactions equivalent proportions,

at the top. be composedof sulid,chlorid,uorid, bromid 130.

eeaoefi and the .only condition to be observed with i respect to the temperature is that it.should be suficient to melt the various 'elements which are to be combined, but not suflicient to volatilize them.

1n carrying out the process in its alternative forms it may be found possible to produce the combination of the elements by heating short of melting point and without fusion and in such cases the temperature will naturally be much lower than that above mentioned.

rllhe process can be varied by nusing the anhydrous sulfate of aluminium, without carbonaceous material, and any yof the haloid saltsof the alkalis or alkaline earths above mentioned or mixtures or compounds of two or more of these. 'lin this case, the action stops with, the formation of the chlorid or analogous salt of aluminium or With the formation of double chlorids of aluminium, 0r analogous salts, and these, if volatile, anay be distilled away and collected. 1n this way, chlorid or double chlorids of aluminium yor analogous compounds may be prepared. Another variation may be adopted when a volatile haloid salt, such as chlorid of sodium, is used to prepare the sulid or double sulid of aluminium, which are not volatile. On completion of the reaction as shown above, the volatile haloid salt may' be expelled by prolonged heating, and the sulfid or double sulfid of aluminium may be recovered in this way. However, for the preparation of suld or double suliid, of aluminium, for ultimate reduction to metallic aluminium, 1 prefer to add carbonaceous material, with the anhydrous aluminium sulfate, to the other ingredients employed. rThis may be conveniently carried out in practice, as follows z-The normal sulfate of aluminium is dried or calcinedvso as to expel' the combined but not the sulfuricf acid, thus:

rlthe dried sulfate is mixed with carbonaceous material, suoli as ground charcoal, in being by weight 72 lparts o f available carbon to 341 parts of anhydrous sulfate of alumina. rThe Whole is intimately mixed, finely ground and thoroughly incorporated, with a small quantity of water, to a thick paste, whichis thoroughly dried, and finely pulveri'zed. 1t is introduced dry as possible, into the fused bath of the' selected reagent. Care is requisite at this point, as'the presence of moisture may cause violent explosions.v The pulverized carbonaceous mixture is introduced gradually and fsteadilyl at the top of the melting pot, and only asfast as Ait is taken vup by the bath.' rllhe'carbon dioxid and other gases; evolved are allowed to pass off The bath used in this step may y or iodid of alkaline metals, or a mixture or compound of two or more such substances with or without haloid salt or double haloid salt of aluminium, or it may' be a haloid salt of magnesium, calcium, barium or strontium; or a mixture of any two or more -of these; or mixtures of haloid salt or sulfids of alkaline metals, or of haloid salts of aluminium or of double 'haloid salts of aluminium with haloid salts or suliids'of alkaline earth metals may be employed. Sulfates may also be employed as shown previously. In any such case, yI obtain a fused mass containing aluminium sulfid or double sulid or both, and in which aluminium sulfid or double sulfid, is the most easily decomposed electrolyte and this is the end in view. It is essential rin case 'of reduction of this aluminium sulfid or double sulid to metallic aluminium, that the specific gravity of the bath be less than that of the metallic aluminium, in order that the metallic aluminium may pass to the bottom `out of contact with the air, and for this purpose, the proportion of salts of alkaline earths must not be so high as to render the bath of a specific gravity, when molten Aequal to or more than that of molten aluminium, which is about 2.54 times that of water.

The presence of fluorids in the bath assists` in obtaining ready solution and complete fluidity of the mass, while salts of lithium decrease its specific gravity, and certain of the haloid salts such as bromid, iodid, chlorid or double chlorid of aluminium, lower the melting point of the mass. This mass, which may, as above shown,have various compositions, is now ready to be reduced by the elec tric current. It may be fused and kept in fusion either by heat applied externally to the Crucible or by heat developed in the melting chamber. If the composition of the -bath is correct and the meltin pot properly protected, very little heat wil be required to maintain fusion beyond that developed by the reactions taking place." The reduction of the aluminium sulfid or double sulid may be accomplished by theaction of an electric current.

By regulating the voltage of the current, so as to overcome the resistance of the circuit, and to just dissociate the aluminium sulfid, no other metal need be deposited, and

aluminium can be obtained free from anycombinations of substances above mentioned as being used to form the fusible compounds of aluminium may be mixed together dry and in powdered form, and, on heating, the reactions will occur as above indicated when the proper temperatures are reached, and these actions are facilitated by presence of a fused medium; but such methods are not essentially different from the method of using fused materials, as above described; and they are by me understood and intended to be included in these, my specification and claims.

1 It will be observed that all the compounds of metals hereinbefore mentioned as being useful in the present process are those of metals more electro-positive than aluminium, and it is this physical characteristic which is used hereinafter in the claims to distinguish the compounds used from thoseof the rarer metals such as gold, silver, zinc and the like.

In case it is desired to reduce the sulfid or double suld of aluminium to metallic aluminium in the same bath in which it is formed, it is necessary that no excess of sulfates be present, as these oxidize the reduced aluminium and prevent its deposition while at the same time, alumina is formed in the bath. It will be observed that the sulfate formed in the reaction is at once reduced by the carbon to a sullid.

I`What-I claim asmy invention is 1. In the 'roduction of aluminium, the herein descri ed improvement which comprises adding anhydrous sulfate of aluminium and carbonaceous material to a compound of a metal more' electro-positive than aluminium, and heating the'mixture sufficiently to cause reaction to take place.

2. A process of recoverin aluminium which comprises first producing a fusible aluminium compound by adding anhydrous sulfate of aluminium and carbonaceous material to a bath containing a fused compound, of a metal more electro-positive than aluminium, the specific gravity of the bath being less than that of metallic aluminium,

and then reducing the fused aluminium sulprises mixing anhydrous sulfate oi eluminium and e carbonaoeous material with a chemically equivalent' quantity of a deoxidized compound of a metal more electropositive than aluminium, and passing an electric current through the mass to eect reduction and the production of a fusible aluminium compound.. y

5. ln the production of aluminium, the

10 herein described improvementJ `Which coml eeepoee prises adding anhydrous sulfate of aluminiun'i lto a molten bath containing a de-l oxidized oompound of a metal more electropositive than aluminium.

ln Witness whereof l have hereunto set my hand in the resence of' two Witnesses.

LUCHI RllCHARlD KEGH. Witnesses:

RUSSELL L.v Sii/ART9 G'ILBERTSON, 

